


sailing the sky with you

by meowy_times



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: (oh also i forgot there’s homophobia), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Cute Yamaguchi Tadashi, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Honestly I suck at tagging, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Yamaguchi Tadashi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Protective Tsukishima Kei, Slice of Life, Stars, Tags May Change, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi Friendship, Tsukishima Kei is Bad at Feelings, Tsukkiyama centric, Volleyball, Yamaguchi Tadashi's Freckles, how could i forget - Freeform, idk - Freeform, ok ok i need to stop, tokyo gang, yamaguchi also plays violin, yay i got a beta!, you’d think i’d get better at it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26375647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meowy_times/pseuds/meowy_times
Summary: So I suck at summaries...Yamaguchi moves back to Miyagi and meets Tsukishima again. He’s not sure why, but he’s definitely seen Tsukishima before.This was just an excuse to write the neighbors prompt from Tsukkiyama week because I never did.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Yachi Hitoka/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 14
Kudos: 37





	1. spring- butter yellow

**Author's Note:**

> wow wow hello! i hope you like the trainwreck dumpster fire (i’ll say this about a lot of things i do, don’t worry)

“Tadashi! Get your stuff and get into the car!” Yamaguchi looks around his empty room. There wasn’t much in it to begin with. He only has a few boxes of stuff, while his parents have what feels like more than he can count. But then again, he’s not counting the kitchen stuff and the bathroom stuff and the general living stuff. 

Yamaguchi hoists a box into the back of the car. It’s going to be a crowded ride. They’re moving back to Miyagi, though Yamaguchi doesn’t remember why they moved away to begin with. Something about bullying and a boy down the street. He opens the side door and crawls in, ready to be surrounded by more boxes. He looks back at the apartment building; they lived on the second floor, so moving wasn’t so bad. Miyagi was only a fifteen minute drive away. 

Yamaguchi falls asleep in the first five minutes of the fifteen minutes in the car. Maybe it’s something to do with the spring warmth or the feeling of being in such a small space. It’s comforting, Yamaguchi likes small spaces. They make him feel safe and at home. 

“Alright. We’re here!” His dad calls from the front. Yamaguchi hears the trunk open. He yawns and uncurls himself from his hiding space. Then he waits for his dad to take out the first few things so he can get out too. Once he does, Yamaguchi takes a deep breath and smiles. He wasn’t the most onboard with moving, but now he thinks it isn’t so bad. He hauls the one of the bigger boxes up to the front step. The new house isn’t really new at all, with chipping yellow paint and stained white shutters. It’s the color of butter and Yamaguchi finds that funny. He giggles a little. 

“Whatcha laughing at Tadashi?” His dad asks. He swings the keys around his finger before grabbing it and inserting it into the door. He kicks the door open. 

Yamaguchi shakes his head and smiles, “Nothing, just happy to be here!” 

His mother laughs behind him now. “That’s good.” 

Yamaguchi pulls the box into the room, “Where does this go?” His father points toward the kitchen.

Moving takes a solid six hours. By the end of it, Yamaguchi doesn’t care and wants to sleep. His bed isn’t set up yet, so he groans. His room was last on the list of things to unpack. He pulls out just the mattress and throws it across onto the floor. It doesn’t go far; it’s big and Yamaguchi isn’t the strongest. 

Yamaguchi flops onto the mattress, forgetting blankets and dinner, to fall asleep. He wakes up early the next morning. 

“What…” he says groggily. 

“You have school soon, wake up,” his mother prods. Oh. Yamaguchi groans and rolls over. He was dreading school, he wouldn’t know anyone. He wouldn’t know how to act or what to do and he wasn’t even sure the high school here would have a volleyball club. Knowing he would move, Yamaguchi applied to most of the high schools in Miyagi. Of course if he hadn’t moved, he would’ve gone to Nekoma or Fukurodani, which he _knew_ had a team. Here, he’d been accepted into Aoba Johsai and Kurasuno, though ultimately picked Kurasuno because it was closer. 

He dresses in the black school uniform. His mother smiles and says, “Have a good day.” like usual and Yamaguchi is left to navigate by himself. He wanders around, lost for a while, until he bumps into or more, collides with another boy. 

“O-oh, sorry.” The boy looks over him and his apology. This feels all too familiar. The boy, another student Yamaguchi guesses, is staring him down, getting ready to absolutely demolish him and any self worth he has left. The boy has a bald head and the way he glares like a delinquent scares Yamaguchi. 

“Sorry dude, didn’t see you there.” The boy’s face morphs into one of surprise and friendliness. He holds his hand out for Yamaguchi to grab. When Yamaguchi stands, he realizes that he’s taller than the boy. “I’m Tanaka.” 

Tanaka walks with Yamaguchi to school. He tells Yamaguchi that they’ll probably be late by now. Yamaguchi sighs, his parents wouldn’t like him being late on the first day of school. He finds his way to his classroom by himself, because Tanaka is a second year and his class is upstairs. They missed the opening ceremony, but Yamaguchi blends in with the other black uniforms easily. 

“Okay everyone! Take a seat.” The teacher calls over the buzz of introductions. She’s a short, petite lady with a simple bob cut. Yamaguchi is pushed toward the edge of the room, so he sits by a window. The teacher claps her hands and explains the rules of the classroom. Don’t talk unprompted, ask to use the bathroom, homework is 35% of your grade, things like that. Yamaguchi looks around the room at all his classmates. Of course, he doesn’t recognize any of them. 

But there’s a boy. Sitting on the other side of the room, the look of boredom already evident in his eyes. Yamaguchi can’t really tell much about him or his personality by watching him, but his hair is butter yellow (and Yamaguchi finds that funny). 

During lunch, students splinter off into their already existing friend groups and Yamaguchi eats by himself. He doesn’t mind, actually he’s rather used to this. He glances at the boy with butter yellow hair and sees that they’re both eating lunch alone. He debates going over and introducing himself, but the boy didn’t seem particularly social. Yamaguchi can tell this. He can also tell that the boy is _very_ tall, by the way his knees bump the bottom of his desk. He wears thick-rimmed rectangle glasses and has white Sony headphones around his neck. Yamaguchi doesn’t know why this boy intrigues him, but when the boy turns to face him, he immediately freezes. Amber eyes seem to pierce through him like he’s nothing. 

Yamaguchi turns away quickly. He pretends to stare out the window, like there was anything interesting out there. There isn’t. Now he can’t face the tall butter blond boy, it’d be too awkward. The bell signals the end of lunch. Yamaguchi sighs as the teacher walks back in and he lets down his guard. For the rest of class, he can feel amber eyes on him though, silent but sure.

Yamaguchi walks home by himself. Clubs would start advertising next week and he hadn’t heard any news of a volleyball club. Well… if volleyball didn’t work, Yamaguchi could join the art or music club. When he gets home, the house is empty and still half unpacked. “I’m home!” Yamaguchi calls into the dark. He doesn’t expect a response and doesn’t get one. 

He turns on the lights and looks at the empty cardboard boxes on the floor. He weaves through the box maze and down the hall into his room. He changes out of his uniform and into shorts and a T-shirt. He gets to work on putting his bed frame and desk back together. Yawning, he empties his clothes into his dresser and starts sorting through his things. He places his small ceramic frog on top of his desk. It smiles back at him, with its big glass eyes. He shifts through more stuff, until most of his books are on their shelves and his random trinkets placed on his desk. 

The last thing he takes out is a jar. On it, he painted stars and the words “wishing well”. Inside there are probably hundreds of folded paper stars. And inside those stars, Yamaguchi had written wishes like “I wish for a volleyball for my birthday” and “I hope we do well in this rehearsal”. Yamaguchi puts the jar on his desk and smiles. He finds a pack of brightly colored paper strips and takes one out. He flips it to the white side and writes “I hope I make some good friends this year” before folding it into a star. The green star falls into the jar and mixes with the others.


	2. spring - cherry pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i’ve never actually made a pie or eaten cherry pie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay i got a beta fast! thank you tsukkis_dino_plushie for offering

Kei, I’m home!” Tsukishima sneers at the sound of his brother’s voice. Didn’t school and university just start? What was Akiteru doing home already? Did he fail? 

School started on a Friday this year, and technically Akiteru’s university was close enough to drive back every weekend. He just never did for the last three years (and Tsukishima _definitely_ isn’t angry about it). 

“What’re you doing here?” 

“I’m here to visit my brother.” Akiteru whines. “I _missed_ you.” 

Tsukishima ignores him and goes back to his music. He technically isn’t doing anything, just staring into space. 

“Boys! Come help me in the kitchen!” 

Akiteru turns towards the kitchen and he’s gone. Tsukishima continues to stare into space. “Kei, you too!” He sighs and pushes his chair back. He moves out of his room into the kitchen. 

“What?” he asks, though not with too much spite. His mother wouldn’t like that. 

“There’s a new neighbor, we have to make them a gift.” 

Tsukishima looks at the counter, where a bowl of flour and too many measuring cups sit. “What’re we making?” Akiteru asks. He seems too happy for this when he sucks at cooking. He can’t even cook an egg without burning it. 

“Well I was thinking about pie, and I got cherries at the store yesterday.” 

Tsukishima sighs and starts to work on the dough. It has to chill for a while before making the crust. At least he’s much better at following recipes and instructions in comparison to Akiteru. 

* * *

The doorbell rings early in the morning. Yamaguchi is still half-asleep when he answers the door. “Hello…” he mumbles, rubbing his head tiredly. He looks at the people at the door and quickly wakes up. The butter boy, no that’s a bad nickname. The honey boy? Golden boy? Why did Yamaguchi associate him with his hair? Okay then… tall boy? He’s not that tall in comparison to Yamaguchi though… 

Okay well, the butter boy stands behind two other blondes. One is a short woman, with even shorter hair. The other looks like a college student. They’re actually smiling, unlike butter boy. 

“Hi! We’re your neighbors. I’m Tsukishima Hanami and these are my sons.” She motions to her right, where the boys stand. 

“I’m Tsukishima Akiteru, though you probably won’t see much of me.” He laughs awkwardly and continues, “I’m in university, so I’ll usually be away.” Yamaguchi nods vaguely, he’s still kind of sleepy. 

“Tsukishima Kei,” the butter boy says. Or now that Yamaguchi knows his name, he shouldn’t call him that. Tsukishima still doesn’t smile. Instead he studies Yamaguchi like he’s the most interesting but boring human on earth. 

“Uh… hi!” Yamaguchi chirps, “I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi. My parents are out right now, sorry.” 

“Oh no, it’s fine.” Hanami reassures. “We can meet them some other time, but for now, please accept this.” She lifts a large tupperware container. Yamaguchi looks at the red lid with surprise. 

“Oh… uh thanks. This is really nice of you,” he says awkwardly. 

“Take it.” Hanami puts the container into his arms. She smiles and says, “Oh by the way, if you ever need anything, you can call us, okay? Well, I think we have to go now! Nice meeting you.” 

“Nice meeting you!” Yamaguchi calls. He knows most of this is out of hospitality and not necessarily niceness, but the Tsukishima’s seem alright (although Kei (butter boy) needs to smile more). 

He puts the container on the table and stares at it. Then he lifts the lid. Inside there is a pie, it smells like cherries. The crust is golden and perfect and Yamaguchi is sure the inside is just as amazing. Yamaguchi finds a knife and plate in the kitchen and cuts a small slice. It’s breakfast time anyway, what’s better than pie for breakfast? 

After breakfast, Yamaguchi washes the dishes. He can’t go back to sleep now, he has too much energy. Pie is good. It suddenly occurs to him that he’s still in his pajamas. He met his new neighbors while still in pajamas. What a great first impression… 

Monday morning, Yamaguchi sits in class, taking notes for a math quiz. He glances at Tsukishima every now and then. He should say thank you, the pie was amazing. Tsukishima glances back every now and then too, only he does it after Yamaguchi turns away again. He should ask if he knows him, because it definitely feels like he does. 

After class, Yamaguchi finds himself staring at the bulletin board of clubs. He’s trying to find the volleyball club, but can’t because the board probably has at least three layers of competition. The less relevant and earlier posters buried under other peoples’ ideas. 

“Who are you?” 

Yamaguchi freezes at the voice. He does that a lot, when he doesn’t know who’s talking to him. He turns slowly, “M-me?” He points to himself. 

“Who else, idiot?” Tsukishima asks, though there’s no real venom behind his voice. “Who are you?” 

This must be some sort of trick question. Tsukishima _knows_ who he is, or at least he should. “I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi.” He would say it confidently, but Tsukishima makes him lose that confidence. 

“Ah, I didn’t recognize you without your polka dot pajamas.” 

Yamaguchi goes red. “I-I… thank you for the pie! It was really good, my parents enjoyed it!” 

Tsukishima smirks, he usually isn’t into helping people or accepting gratitude. Especially people he doesn’t know. Yamaguchi looks at him and asks, “What club are you looking for?” 

“Volleyball.” Tsukishima says, looking over the posters to find something that resembles a spiking pose. Usually that’s what the posters look like, spikers are the best marketers because kids think they look cool. He doesn’t find one. “You?” 

“Uh,” Yamaguchi stammers, “Volleyball… or music!” Tsukishima looks him over. Yamaguchi anticipates some sort of question. What position he plays or how he’d rank himself one to ten. 

“What instrument do you play?” 

Yamaguchi stares at Tsukishima. Maybe it’s not that surprising that he asked, but Yamaguchi feels surprised. “Violin.” 

“Here.” Tsukishima points at a different poster. This one has music notes on it and read “Orchestra Club” at the top. “If they really don’t have volleyball, you can do this.” 

Yamaguchi looks over the poster. He really doesn’t want to join an orchestra club over volleyball, but if he has to, he will. 

He goes home after that. Since clubs don’t start for another few weeks, there’s nothing to do. He follows Tsukishima, unintentionally. As he walks up to his door, Tsukishima calls, “Wait.” 

Yamaguchi looks back, confused. “What?”

“We should trade numbers, so that if there ever is a problem, you can call.” 

“Oh,” Yamaguchi says. “Okay.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos and comments appreciated!  
> (i think it’s a weak chapter mannn)


	3. spring - night birds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don’t know what this chapter title is... my chapters are short, i wanna get to the angst

Over the next week, three things happen: 

  1. Yamaguchi practices his serves in the yard. They’re just regular serves, he still doesn’t know if there is a volleyball club, and if there is, how much competition he’ll have to face. He knows that while he’s a decent middle blocker, there’s always going to be better. His serves need practice anyway. 
  2. He hits the ball over the fence. It goes straight over the top of the dividing fence. It’s a good serve. 
  3. The ball bounces back, without any hesitation. Yamaguchi stares at it in shock as it arches back over the fence. Now, of course, Yamaguchi has the obligation to keep it in the air. 



Yamaguchi bumps it back, letting the ball hit his forearms. It sails over the fence, like the fence is just another net. The ball that comes back is perfect. A perfect trajectory, so Yamaguchi can hit it back with the best of his abilities. Ten minutes pass before Yamaguchi even wonders who’s on the other side. He catches the ball instead of returning it. Then, he runs up to the fence. It’s stupidly tall, like the neighbors from a long time ago hated each other’s guts. Even Yamaguchi has to stand on his tippy toes to see the other side. 

“Why’d you stop?” Tsukishima stands still in position to return the ball. 

“Oh uh…” Yamaguchi’s eyes widened, “I didn’t know it was you.” 

“Who else would it be?” Tsukishima snorts. He stands straight and walks over to the fence. “My _brother?_ Old Migikawa-san who lives on the _other_ side of your yard?” 

“Umm,” Yamaguchi shrugs, “Maybe I was just playing with a ghost?” Tsukishima rolls his eyes. 

Tsukishima doesn’t have to stand on his tippy toes to see over the fence. He puts his hands on the edge and pushes down a few times to test it. Then, he hoists him on top of the fence. Yamaguchi stares. 

“What?” Tsukishima asks, swinging his legs over now. “It makes more sense to be in the same yard.”

Yamaguchi moves just in time as Tsukishima jumps off the fence and throws his arms out for balance. “O-okay,” he says. 

“So are you a pinch server?” Tsukishima asks. Yamaguchi throws the ball up so he can pass it. 

“No,” Yamaguchi answers. “Are you a setter?” Tsukishima raises his eyebrows as he hits it back. 

“Do I give off that impression?” 

“No!” Yamaguchi says quickly. “I was just guessing!” 

Tsukishima gives the smallest smile. It’s devious. “Guess better next time. I’m a middle blocker.” 

Yamaguchi stops for a moment to look at Tsukishima. It makes sense, Tsukishima is tall with long arms. He’d be perfect for stopping the ball over the net.He should’ve known. “Oh-“ Yamaguchi bounces the ball, “Me too!” 

“Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima says next afternoon, during lunch. Yamaguchi looks up. Tsukishima is standing over him, watching him eat. 

“Huh?” 

Tsukishima doesn’t say anything to respond. He sits at the desk next to Yamaguchi and unties his lunch. Yamaguchi watches, taken aback by the forwardness. He doesn’t really know Tsukishima, but he doesn’t seem the type to do this. Yamaguchi’s seen Tsukishima with their other classmates, he doesn’t like any of them. Why does he want to eat lunch with Yamaguchi?

That afternoon, they go to the gym to turn in their volleyball applications. Together. Apparently, the volleyball club did exist, only their entrance isn’t as quiet as Yamaguchi thought it’d be. 

“Heyyyy Yamaguchi! You play volleyball too?” 

Tsukishima gives Yamaguchi a look. _“You know the dunderhead?”_ Yamaguchi shrugs then smiles back at Tanaka. 

“Yeah, I’m a middle blocker.” 

“Good. We’ve got some tall ones this year.” A third year, Yamaguchi doesn’t know, says. “I’m Sawamura Daichi,” he has a warm smile, “Nice to meet you Tsukishima, Yamaguchi.” Yamaguchi assumes he’s the captain and he’s right. Daichi is big and built. His hair is cropped short and spiky. It wouldn’t surprise Yamaguchi if he was scarier when mad.

Daichi fills them in on a few things. A three-on-three game on Saturday. Observing and assessing skills. Daichi will be on their team. Suga, another third year, with dove grey hair and a nice face, will be watching and judging their skills. The other two first years, Kageyama and Hinata, along with Tanaka, will be their opponents. 

“Sorry dude, I wish I was on your team,” Tanaka laughs. Tsukishima rolls his eyes. 

They end up wandering the streets afterwards. It’s probably dangerous, but Tsukishima says it’s safe. He shows Yamaguchi the corner store and the bus stop and places Yamaguchi wasn’t aware of. Tsukishima leads him around the town and they talk about anything from height to video games to science homework. 

They stop at a park, where they see two boys shouting at each other. One has hot orange hair (the color of Hot Cheetos, Yamaguchi thinks he should stop comparing hair to food) and is halfway up a tree. The other is shouting about dumbasses and practice. He has black hair, the color of night. When the short one hops out of the tree, he holds a volleyball and glares at the taller one. Tsukishima huffs and walks over to them. Yamaguchi follows, interested in the situation. Tsukishima catches the ball when Cheeto boy (really, Yamaguchi should stop) throws it up in the air. Tsukishima holds the ball over him and smirks. 

“H-hey!” Tsukishima ignores the short boy to look at the tall one. 

“So the King is coming to Kurasuno.” Tsukishima says coolly. King? Yamaguchi doesn’t know this boy or the “King”. 

“Don’t call me that,” the boy grinds his teeth. Tsukishima scoffs. 

“H-how tall are you!” Orange boy (still a food, but better than Cheetos) shouts at them. He’s pointing at Tsukishima though. 

“Tsukki is 188 centimeters!” Yamaguchi grins. Tsukishima freezes for a minute, then recovers. 

“Shut up Yamaguchi.” 

“Sorry Tsukki!” Yamaguchi chirps. 

When they leave, a few things start clicking in Yamaguchi’s brain. That was Kageyama and Hinata, though Yamaguchi doesn’t know which is who. Yamaguchi called Tsukishima “Tsuki”, like the moon. Tsukishima walks in front of Yamaguchi. 

He doesn’t hear when Tsukishima says, “Old habits die hard,” under his breath.


	4. spring - juliet? romeo...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again i have no idea what’s going one with the title...  
> i’ve been listening to the same song on repeat and i’m getting sorta sick of it but that the same time it’s a /bop/
> 
> also check out my beta! tsukkis_dino_plushie, they just posted a new story :)

“Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, I didn’t realize…” Yamaguchi babbles as they walk the street to their houses. Tsukishima house is only slightly closer, but he doesn’t stop when he gets there. Instead he walks a little farther, to a big crack in the sidewalk that is right in between both houses. It seems to split the street in half. Tsukishima turns to face the houses, Yamaguchi watches him nervously. He follows Tsukishima and turns to face the houses. Tsukishima still hasn’t said anything, allowing the string of “sorry”’s to follow him home. 

Yamaguchi looks back at the houses. They’re similar, in size and build. They have the same roof tiles and the same window in the front. But other than that, they’re different. Yamaguchi’s garage door is white and rusted, with chips of paint peeling off. Tsukishima’s is painted an offwhite, with a paint color called “winter magic”, and is new and clean. Yamaguchi’s house is the color of bananas and daffodils, soft and yellow. Tsukishima’s house is light blue, like the sky in early morning spring and forget me-nots. 

It’s easy to see two very different families live here. Yamaguchi’s house is old and the front yard is a mess of weeds and “not settled in at all”, he is new but old. Tsukishima’s house has fresh paint and purposeful tulips sit in well tended rows, he is old but new. The opposition reminds him almost of Romeo and Juliet.

“It’s fine,” Tsukishima says. 

“Huh?” Yamaguchi questions. 

“Call me Tsukki if you want, I don’t mind,” Tsukishima says blandly. He pushes his glasses up, which have slowly fallen down his face over time. He forgot to fix them. He turns then, to walk up his front step. 

“O-oh! Okay!” Yamaguchi tells him. “Bye Tsukki!” Then he turns to get his key into the door. 

* * *

“Alright! Ready?” Daichi asks after he stopped Tsukishima from aggravating Tanaka. 

“Yeah!” Yamaguchi grins. They get into position behind the net and Narita calls for them to start. Daichi serves the ball and Tanaka receives. The ball goes sailing toward Kageyama. He sets it back to Tanaka, who hits it over. 

Yamaguchi almost thinks they lost the first point when Daichi is there, sliding his arms under the ball. Suga whistles. The ball goes up again and Tsukishima calls for Yamaguchi. 

It suddenly registers that they are actually playing a game, actually being evaluated. Tsukishima sets the ball, not as well as Kageyama (though Yamaguchi’s only known Kageyama for like five seconds, he’s pretty sure no one can set as well as him). Yamaguchi runs up to hit it and it slams into the ground on the other side. 

“Nice!” Daichi grins at him. 

Kageyama moves to serve and Hinata has his arms behind his head fearfully. Yamaguchi gets in position to receive the ball. 

The ball bounces high, back over the net. Kageyama again sets it straight to Tanaka. 

After a few more “just Tanaka” shots, Hinata gets restless. Tsukishima rolls his eyes. He’s blocked a decent number of shots, but without much power. Suga half walks and half stomps over to Kageyama. 

“Look…” He says frustrated. “I _know_ you don’t like Hinata.” 

“Hey Suga-“ “Let him talk, Tanaka.” Daichi intercepts. 

Suga takes a breath. “But he’s your teammate now. And don’t you think his speed and agility could be _some_ use to you?” Kageyama tilts his head, confused. 

“Do you think the Shrimpy can hit the _King’s_ toss?” Tsukishima taunts. Yamaguchi still doesn’t understand the whole “King” thing, but it seems to strike a cord with Kageyama. He whips around to face Hinata, studying and analyzing the short boy. 

“Let’s try it!” Hinata crows. He’s just been itching to get a toss. Kageyama is so mean, not letting him hit anything. 

Kageyama throws the ball up, Hinata returns it. Then, Kageyama sets it high, and so fast, Yamaguchi watches as Hinata tries to line up with the toss. He misses. 

“I didn’t know it’d be that fast!!” Hinata says. 

“You need to jump faster! Higher!” Kageyama shouts. Suga rubs his forehead, agitated. 

“Looks like the King hasn’t changed.” Tsukishima smirks. 

Kageyama groans. He looks absolutely livid, at himself or Hinata, Yamaguchi wouldn’t know. 

“I…” Suga fidgets with his hands and he tries to explain. “Kageyama, don’t you think it’d be best if you lined up with Hinata? Like… Match him, instead of him matching you?” 

Kageyama looks confused then nods. Hinata whoops at the idea of another toss and Tsukishima snickers. 

They get back onto the right sides of the net. “Yamaguchi, come here.” Tsukishima calls as Kageyama gets ready to set. Hinata is on the left, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima standing against him. 

Yamaguchi barely sees it. Hinata sprints across the court, to the right, and just as he jumps, the ball is there. The volleyball slams down on the other side and Hinata lands. He opens his eyes. 

There’s a shocked silence for a while. Then, “Y-you had your eyes closed…” Daichi says. The room falls into hysterics. 

“What do you mean you had your eyes closed!!” Kageyama shouts. 

“Y-you told me not to look at the ball!” Hinata says frantically, “I always get distracted by the ball when my eyes are open!” 

When the game is over and everyone calms down, Hinata walks over to them and sticks out his hand. “Huh?” Tsukishima asks, putting his towel over his shoulder. 

“Shake it.” Hinata says. Tsukishima looks at his hand like it has rabies. “C’mon,” Hinata whispers as he leans in, “We have to show good sportsmanship or we’ll get kicked off the team!” 

“You almost got kicked off because you were fighting.” Tsukishima grabs his water bottle and stalks off. 

“I’ll shake it!” Yamaguchi offers. Hinata brightens and they shake hands happily. “I don’t understand Tsukishima…” Yamaguchi hears Hinata mutter. He has to agree… he doesn’t understand Tsukishima either.

* * *

Afterwards, they go to Tsukishima’s favorite cafe. Tsukishima offers to pay. They sit in the stupidly pink booths, facing each other. Tsukishima says that they’re stupid, Yamaguchi just laughs. A short girl comes out to take their order. 

“What would you like today?” 

Yamaguchi looks over the menu. He isn’t used to a cafe that takes his order this way. Usually he goes up to the front to ask, right?

“A latte and strawberry shortcake.” Tsukishima says, his voice monotone. Yamaguchi sees that he’s used to this. 

“A hot chocolate,” Yamaguchi says. Tsukishima gives him a look. _“Is that all? I’m paying, you know.”_ “... and a croissant, please.” 

The girl jots it down on the paper and smiles. Yamaguchi instinctively smiles back. Then, they sit in silence for five minutes. Yamaguchi watches the girl walk back behind the counter, for lack of something better to do. Her high heels click against the checkered tiles. Yamaguchi looks back at Tsukishima. 

“So why’s this your favorite place to go?” Yamaguchi looks around the cafe again. There are lovey-dovey couples kissing and sharing milkshakes. The lights glow pink, the color of roses and blush. This is clearly a couples cafe. 

Their orders come through, the girl winks at Yamaguchi before leaving. Tsukishima frowns slightly (Yamaguchi doesn’t see). 

“They have the best strawberry shortcake.” 

Yamaguchi cocks his head like a confused puppy. “Chocolate cake is better,” he counters. 

“Chocolate cake is too rich. Especially when people say it’s supposed to be ‘double chocolate fudge surprise’ or whatever.” 

“Hm,” Yamaguchi takes a bite of his croissant, “Carrot cake is also good.” Tsukishima wrinkles his nose at him. Yamaguchi giggles and it turns into a snort. This has become some sort of game. 

“Carrot cake is disgusting. The cream cheese is always too heavy. The cake always has a weird texture.” He hardly knows Tsukishima, but he’s already learning so much. He’s opinionated. 

“Hmmm… how about tiramisu cake then?” Yamaguchi asks. “It’s not that heavy.” 

Tsukishima nods. “Tiramisu is good.” 

“Hah!” Yamaguchi lets out a small whoop, not to distract the others in the cafe. “What are y-“ Yamaguchi is cut off as Tsukishima shoves his fork into Yamaguchi’s mouth. Yamaguchi gags, if his mouth had been closed, Tsukishima would’ve just stabbed him. Tsukishima pulls the fork out and leaves Yamaguchi to chew and process what just happened. Yamaguchi tastes the whipped cream, vanilla cake, and strawberry bits; he has to admit, it’s the best strawberry shortcake he’s ever had. 

“Why’d you do that?” 

“You talk too much.”

He swallows and continues his question. “What are you, a cake connoisseur?”

“No.” Tsukishima says flatly. “I just like good cake.” 

Yeah… yeah. Yamaguchi doesn’t understand Tsukishima at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so the cake scene was gonna be later/next chapter but i said “whatever i can make it work” anyway i love yall, did i say that yet (no) yes i love my readers <3  
> (also i do kind of agree with tsukki’s opinions of cake, strawberry cake is my favorite)


	5. spring - little lion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yesterday was a shitty day so yeahh (i have homework i’m not doing bc it’s the weekend)  
> also sometimes i wonder if i’m being too literal with my titles or whatever but then i remember if i was then this story would be about pirates or smth 
> 
> (also thank u to my beta (tsukkis_dino_plushie) for helping me figure out backstory and telling me it wasn’t cringe)

Over the next week and a half, Yamaguchi learns so much. He exchanges numbers with everyone on the team and gets added to a group chat where the last messages are: 

Ennoshita: 

_go to sleep_

Tanaka: 

_make me_

Sugawara: 

_aren’t you playing tmr?_

Ennoshita: 

_yeah come on tanaka_

Tanaka: 

_haha cum_

Sugawara: 

_oh my god_

_go to sleep_

Yamaguchi doesn’t question it too much. 

* * *

On Tuesday, Tsukishima’s mother invites him to dinner. It’s awkward, because his parents have started work again and are out. 

“So what do your parents do?” Tsukishima Hanami asks. 

“Uh… they work abroad actually. This move was sort of spontaneous, because I think it’s cheaper to live here?” Yamaguchi answers. 

Hanami laughs and nods, “Well yes, it is cheaper. My husband works abroad too.” 

Yamaguchi looks around the house. He’s interested in what kind of life Tsukishima lives. On the wall by the stairs, there are pictures. A smiling woman with long hair and a very tall man. They look happy. A marriage photo of the same two people, and now Hanami has the same short haircut, and the man is crying. Then a baby, Akiteru, Yamaguchi assumes, and the man is happy crying again. More pictures of Akiteru, all small and in one frame, a collage of beach days, volleyball matches, zoo visits. Then there’s a baby picture of Tsukishima crying and another collage, this time with Tsukishima. 

There’s more than pictures, of course, but pictures tell him they care. He likes pictures. Yamaguchi sits at the dinner table and looks into the living room. An old blue couch that probably needs replacing, sits in front of a flat screen TV. The living room table is messy. 

“Here.” Tsukishima’s mother places food in front of him. She smiles, “I’m glad Kei has made a friend.” 

Yamaguchi turns to look at Tsukishima. “That’s embarrassing, mom…” he mutters. 

She just laughs, “You haven’t had a friend since grade school, I was worried.” Yamaguchi’s eyes widen. Tsukishima must’ve been lonely. The air gets just a little more awkward. 

“That’s not true.” Tsukishima objects. 

“Oh? Did you have a friend I didn’t know about then?” Hanami asks mischievously. 

“ _No._ ” Tsukishima mutters, “Akiteru was my friend.” Tsukishima’s mother falters. Yamaguchi knows immediately that it isn’t true. 

“Honey…” “C’mon Yamaguchi, let’s go.” Tsukishima stands abruptly. Yamaguchi glances at Hanami. Tsukishima gives him a look and Yamaguchi gets up quickly. 

“Okay Tsukki!” He follows Tsukishima up the stairs happily. 

“Shut up Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima says, with a smile, when they get to his room. It’s not what Yamaguchi expected. “My mom will get mushy if she knows you have a nickname for me.” He sits on the bed and Yamaguchi sits on the floor. When he looks up, he sees those plastic green stars that glow in the dark.

Above Tsukishima’s desk, there are dinosaur figurines, a T-rex and triceratops and a few others Yamaguchi doesn’t know the name of. On his desk, there’s a photo frame turned down so Yamaguchi can’t see it. On the walls, there are band posters. Tsukishima’s bed is plain and blue. 

“So you really didn’t have friends in middle school?” Yamaguchi asks, leaning against the bed. 

“I told you, I had Akiteru.” 

“You were lying… what happened between you two?” 

Tsukishima stays quiet and Yamaguchi wonders if he’s overstepped. “You really don’t remember anything, do you?” Tsukishima mumbles so Yamaguchi doesn’t hear. “You were always so forgetful…” Tsukishima sighs. Then he says louder, “My brother lied to me.” 

“Oh.” 

That isn’t the full story, of course. 

* * *

_“Tsukki?”_

_Tsukishima hears the door creak close behind Yamaguchi. He’s hiding under the covers, blanket balled up in his fists. Now that the initial shock has worn off, Tsukishima doesn’t know if he should be angry or sad. He’s still figuring it out._

_“Tsukki… I’m sorry.”_

_What for? It wasn’t Yamaguchi’s fault._

_“I’m sorry.”_

_Shut up, shut up, shut up._

_“Tsukki… I-I understand.”_

_No._

_You._

_Don’t._

_“You don’t understand anything!” Tsukishima shouts. He rises from the bed to move towards Yamaguchi. If Tsukishima were any more rational now, he would’ve told Yamaguchi to just shut up. It wasn’t his fault and would never be his fault. Yamaguchi is trembling, he backs further until he’s against the door. Tsukishima stalks forward and with every step he takes, Yamaguchi takes a step back. Tsukishima hears the door close completely._

_Now it’s just a lion and his prey._

_“I-I’m sorry Tsukki.” Yamaguchi cowers as he has nowhere left to run. Tsukishima just sees red. He slaps Yamaguchi across the face. But Yamaguchi is stronger at eleven than he was when he was eight. “I’m sorry!” He yells, “I liked Akiteru too! He lied to me too!”_

_“Shut up!” Tsukishima growls. He shoves Yamaguchi against the door. Yamaguchi wasn’t expecting it and shakes like a rag doll. His head hits the door knob. “Get out…” Tsukishima cries. He collapses on the ground, exhausted by everything. Yamaguchi’s eyes go wide. Tears collect in his eyes, but Tsukishima can’t see. Then Tsukishima hears the door slam close, meaning that Yamaguchi ran away._

_“Good… now you can’t hurt me like he did…”_

_Yamaguchi moves away the next week._

* * *

Tsukishima spares Yamaguchi the details. He gives Yamaguchi the watered down version. He tells Yamaguchi that he went to the game with his mother. That he searched and searched for his brother on the court. That he didn’t see his brother. That when he found his brother in the stands, holding two orange cheering cones, it was like the world had ended. It might as well have. 

“Oh…” Yamaguchi says. “I’m sorry.” 

Tsukishima sighs. Yamaguchi really hasn’t changed. “It’s okay. I’m over it,” he says. “Let’s talk about something else.” 

So they do. Tsukishima explains his dinosaurs and gives Yamaguchi pop music to listen to. Yamaguchi laughs when he says that an ampelosaurus has a brain the size of a walnut. Also when he says that brachiosaurus is known as the “Arm Lizard”. They end up losing track of time. 

“Hello?” Hanami opens the door slightly. “It’s nine o’clock, Yamaguchi-kun should probably go home now.” 

“Oh.” Yamaguchi looks over. He stands up. “You’re probably right. Bye Tsukki!” He waves and sees himself out. 

“Thank you for dinner.” He tells Hanami at the door. 

“No problem!” Hanami laughs, “You’re welcome here anytime. Don’t worry about it.” 

Yamaguchi nods, thanks her again, then leaves. He walks up to his own door to unlock it and step inside. It’s dark in his house. He turns on the light. 

The inside of his house looks better than the outside. They’ll probably need to get a new paint job for the outside.On the inside, they’re all moved in. There are no pictures. Yamaguchi goes into his room. He sits on the bed and looks around his own room. He has homework still. 

He finishes late. He’s about to fall asleep when his phone flashes with a notification. 

From Tsukki: 

_i’m sorry_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i sorta lost what i was doing at the end lol uhhh, also apparently i’m relatable in writing (is that true???) 
> 
> aaaa anyway thank u for reading and uh yup! i have no upload schedule:)

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments appreciated!! 
> 
> oh and the chapter limit is just an approximation of what i want it to be


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